Joshaya one shots
by Toonumbtofeel91
Summary: A collection of Joshaya one shots, because they're so cute. Each chapter has a description of what they're about. Don't read if you don't ship Joshaya.
1. Dont Touch Her

**So this is going to be a collection of different Joshaya one-shots I've written. I may post an actual story I've been working on, but haven't decided yet. If you don't like the ship, don't read. I don't need reviews like "It's creepy" "I hate them." "Lucaya is better".. I hope everyone here is a Joshaya shipper and will respect it.**

 **Josh is in town for his pre-college program and sees Maya out with a guy friend. When said guy friend takes things the wrong way and starts hurting Maya, Josh becomes protective and a fight breaks out.**

Josh was glad to be in New York for the summer, having two and a half months of doing what he loved at NYU. It would be good practice to get him away from home and be in school. He had moments of being homesick, but for the most part, he was having a good time. He got to see Auggie pretty much whenever he wanted, got to hang out with Riley, and see Cory and Topanga more. It was making him even more comfortable with the idea of moving two hours away from home in a year. If he got in, of course.

His dad offered for him to take his car to get around, but Josh decided against it, saying he'd be better off taking the subway. He tried driving in the New York traffic before, and he was pretty sure he'd get places faster by walking than driving.

Josh had the day off and decided to grab some lunch and then go see his brother, niece and nephew. While it was cool to see all the college students, it made the cafes super busy, so he decided to go to what was formerly Svorski's, was now Topanga's, owned by his brother and sister-in-law. It was also easy since it was under the brownstone where his New York family lived. Knowing that, he shouldn't have been surprised to see that Maya was there. But one thing did surprise him; she was with a guy. It wasn't Lucas or Farkle, or anyone he knew. He didn't know a lot of the people his niece and her best friend hung around with, but last time he saw her to tell them he'd be spending the summer in New York, she'd nearly fainted and was still clearly into him. Had she been trying to move on? He shook his head, trying to ignore it and went to order something to eat. She was facing away from him and focused with her partner, so he was hoping he could go in and out without her noticing and having some awkward exchange.

He sighed a little, trying to shake off the thought. So what if she saw him there? He'd be in the same part of New York as her for the next few months. Maybe last time he told her he was too old, she took it to heart. So maybe they'd be friends and she'd moved on. He wasn't going to hide from her. So instead, he paid for his lunch and sat down at a table to eat before he would go upstairs.

"Ha, you're funny," he heard a voice he knew too well say. He glanced up to see that Maya had started to raise her voice. She looked amused, but the guy didn't.

"Funny? I'm not trying to be funny, Maya," the guy responded.

"When I said it's a date, it was just an expression, Ethan" she answered, still having a light expression like she didn't think this Ethan guy was serious.

"You were flirting and laughing a lot," Ethan responded, putting his hand over hers at the table. "You like me." He didn't state it like a question. Josh knew he shouldn't be eavesdropping, but he didn't trust the way their conversation was turning.

"Don't," Maya said, pulling her hand from his. "Yeah, you were being funny, but I wasn't flirting. I don't even know _how_ to flirt," she stated.

"Well, you're pretty flirty for someone who doesn't claim to know how.." Ethan said, his ego clearly wounded and he was a bit upset.

"Look, I'm sorry, I really just thought you wanted to be friends and hang out," Maya said, starting to stand up, her face serious and apologetic. She clearly didn't know what she'd done.

Ethan was quick to get up, and reached for her hand again. "Okay, okay, this wasn't a date, but maybe we can go on one? A real one where we're both on the same page?" he asked.

"I don't know.." she said, clearly trying to wriggle her hand out of his. Josh had completely forgotten about lunch and was focused on the exchange. He was really starting to get a bad vibe from this guy and wanted to see what he'd do.

"I like you, Maya. You're cute and funny and you don't take crap from anyone. I bet you'd like me too if you gave me a real chance," he said, moving his hand from hers, but moved them to her arms.

"You're right, I don't take crap from anyone. Including you. I don't want to go out with you," she stated, trying to pull away from his grip, which tightened. "Ow, you're hurting me."

That's all Josh needed to hear to be out of his seat and over there in a minute. "Let her go," he stated, gray eyes dark with anger.

"Josh," Maya breathed. Even in the serious situation, it was like she melted in his presence, especially since he was defending her.

"Or what? Isn't she a little young for you? Or are you into cradle robbing?" Ethan snapped. .

Josh resisted the urge to agree, or inform him that he was only three when Maya was in a cradle, but he was trying to defend her, not any sort of feelings. "I don't have to be interested in her to be defending her from some asshole who can't take no for an answer," he spat back.

"This really isn't any of your business, dude," Ethan said.

"It is when she's a friend of mine. Even if she wasn't, she said it herself, you're hurting her. Let her go, and don't touch her again," Josh warned, glaring at down at the boy.

Ethan returned the glare, but never the less, let Maya go. He held his hands up in defense. "Fine, how about I touch you instead?" he said, before pushing Josh back.

Josh barely budged, anticipating it coming. "Get out of here, Maya," he told her, more concerned about her safety. He knew how to hold his own. He didn't want her getting hurt on accident for being around.

Maya paused and glanced between them, but instead of actually leaving, she just moved behind Josh and made sure there was some distance, so she wouldn't get any back end.

"Are you really going to fight me because of a girl who doesn't like you?" Josh asked, not backing down, but he was trying to give him time to back out. He had history in self defense training, so it wasn't like he was worried about being beaten.

"I'm going to kick your ass because you don't know how to mind your own business," Ethan responded, going for a swing. Again, Josh anticipated the movement, grabbing his fist and twisted his arm behind his back, pushing him against one of the tables.

"This can all end before anyone gets hurt. All you have to do is walk away and leave Maya alone," Josh said, having the struggling kid still pressed against the table.

Instead of responding, he slipped out of Josh's grasp, and pushed him back again, this time making Josh stumble back a few inches. The guy swung again, and Josh dodged it, before swinging his own, his fist connecting with Ethan's nose. There was a loud noise and blood.

"What the fuck, I think you just broke my nose," he explained, holding his nose that was gushing blood.

Josh shook off his hand which was burning from the impact. Ethan still tried to lunge, and Josh just tossed him toward the door. "Stop trying. Just get that taken care of before it tries to set wrong," he said with a roll of the eyes. he wasn't trying to have this big brawl. He was just defending himself and didn't want to swing anymore than he needed to.

Ethan clearly weighed his options. He was already bleeding pretty bad, and Josh had only been pushed and had a sore hand. He was starting to be blinded by the pain too. "This isn't over, dick," he said, mostly for his own bravado, before pushing his way out.

Josh waited before rubbing his hand, which was covered in both his blood and Ethan's. It would be sore for a little while. He didn't get in many fights and mostly didn't train much, so his hands had gone soft. "Damn that hurt," he murmured.

"Josh.. I.. Thank you for standing up for me," Maya said, still in shock of the who situation. "Are you okay?" she asked, seeing the fact he'd hurt his hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he assured her, giving her a small smile. "Are _you_ okay?" he asked, wanting to make sure Ethan hadn't really hurt her.

Maya nodded, smiling back and rubbed her arms. "I'm fine. Want to head upstairs and put some ice on that?" she asked, nodding to his hand.

"Yeah, that'd probably be a good idea," Josh answered. He'd eaten most of his food and wasn't worried about the rest, appetite gone with all the adrenaline going on in his body.

Maya smiled and went out, holding the door open for him and they headed upstairs to the Matthews apartment.

"Hey Josh," Cory greeted when they went inside.

"Hi, Uncle Jo- Oh my god, what happened?" Riley asked when she saw his bloody hand.

Cory looked up when he heard his daughter's exclamation "Are you okay?" he asked.

Josh waved them off with his good hand. "I'm fine. Some asshole was trying to hit on Maya and wouldn't take no for an answer. I defended her and he swung, so I swung back." he answered, going to kitchen to rinse off his hand before getting out an ice pack.

"Ethan tried to put the moves on you?" Riley asked, mouth wide. "And he seemed like such a nice guy.." she said with a small frown, clearly upset she hadn't seen it coming.

"It was just a misunderstanding. He thought we were on a date and got upset when he found out I wasn't interested like that," Maya said with a small shrug.

"Good thing that Josh was there. That was a nice thing you did," his brother said, giving him a proud smile.

Josh shrugged. "It's not a big deal. I was taught self defense and he was hurting her. There wasn't a chance of him hurting me," he said.

"It was a big deal, to me, I don't know what I would have done without you there," Maya said, giving him a big smile and hugged him. It was a genuine thank you hug, not one where she was trying to hit on him or anything.

Josh smiled, and hugged her back. "Anytime, Maya."

 **Note: I wrote this before Girl Meets The Secret of Life, and I've had the headcanon about Josh being in martial arts since Game Night, because Uriah did martial arts too.**


	2. No One At Home

**Josh comes up to take care of some stuff for NYU, when he learns Maya has been having trouble in school, and being the good guy that he is, he offers to tutor her, giving her some sort of incentive to inspire her. Josh's major at NYU is a headcanon.**

Josh was in New York for the weekend, doing some stuff to prepare for NYU, so he was crashing with his brother in their apartment. he liked being around his brother and Topanga, and he was always glad to see his niece and nephew. He was currently helping set the table with Cory when he saw Maya emerge from Riley's bedroom. He learned her and Riley's other friends often liked to use the fire escape outside her window to come in, instead of using the front door, so he really couldn't be surprised. What had surprised him was that she didn't even pay Josh any real attention aside from a 'Hey, Uncle Boing,"and a look at Cory, before plopping down on the couch.

"If looks could kill.." Josh murmured to his brother, curious as to what that was about. Normally Maya was very respectful and happy to see them.

"She's mad at me right now," Cory responded quietly while they finished setting the table.

"What did you do?" Josh asked, raising a brow as he leaned against the kitchen counter. He didn't imagine it was very easy to make Maya that mad at someone.

"She's failing my class. If she doesn't get at least above a 75 on the next few tests, she's going to have to retake the class over summer," he explained.

Josh rose his brow higher. He knew Maya; she was a really smart girl. Why was she failing a class? "She's failing?" he asked, shocked. "But she's so smart. Especially for her age."

"She is, but her mom works a lot and her grandmother is old, so she really don't have anyone to keep her focused or help her with her homework," Cory explained with pursed lips.

Josh nodded a bit and got an idea. He gave his brother a knowing smile, before going over to sit next to Maya on the couch. "Hey, little ferret," he said, teasingly. Last time when she jumped on his back, he'd called her a little ferret. Even he didn't know where it came from. It had just kinda popped out and he couldn't explain it.

"Hey," she responded, giving him a pathetic excuse for a smile.

"So, Cory told me about you having trouble in school?" Josh started, hoping she wouldn't be even more mad at Cory for telling him.

"Ugh, does he really have to broadcast it?" she asked, sounding frustrated, but she looked more like she was embarrassed that Josh knew. No matter how calm she acted, he knew she still had a crush, or feelings or whatever for him.

"He's just worried about you, and so am I. You're a smart girl, Maya, you should be able to be aceing honors classes, not flunking an 8th grade history class," he said, looking at her.

Maya sighed. "It all makes sense when Mr. Matthews explains it. He puts it into real life a lot. Shows us why it's important. But when he sends us home with a big book, an amount of pages to read and then questions to answer, I kinda start to lose it. It makes it really easy to get distracted too, and no one ever really asks about my homework except Mr. Matthews. Even if I did do it, I have no way of knowing if I did it right, until I get back a bad grade," she confessed.

"You're smart, Maya. I'm sure you could figure it out, but you're psyching yourself out because you have to do it alone. I'm sure you could always ask him for help. Or I could help you. I know I don't live around the corner, but there's email and Skype and what not. I'm gonna be preparing for NYU a lot, so I'll be coming back and forth," he offered.

Again, Maya flushed. "Josh, you don't have to help me study just because you feel bad for me. And Mr. Matthews has two kids of his own to help with homework, and papers to grade. He doesn't have time to help me, and I'm sure you've got finals or whatever you need to prepare for, so you can't be helping me every night," she said.

"I didn't offer because I feel bad for you, I offered because I care. And I'm pretty ready for my finals. I was offered to go into honors classes, but thought it would cause too much stress. I manage school pretty easily, so I really don't need to cram. 8th grade history would be a cakewalk. I really don't mind helping you, Maya. And if you need help in high school, I will actually be right around the corner. If I'm busy, I really don't think Cory would mind helping you," he told her, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" she asked, oddly shy for once.

"I'm sure," Josh confirmed. "Do you have any homework for this weekend?" Josh asked.

"Yeah, but I left it at home.." Maya said with a sheepish smile. Well, that didn't surprise him. He didn't imagine she'd take her homework everywhere.

Like magic, Cory appeared with a few pieces of paper stapled together, and held it out to Josh. "Well, that makes life easier," he said, taking it and looked over it. "Okay, cool, this is easy," he commented. "You pick a Civil Rights activist and write an essay about them."

"Yeah, and Mr. Matthews has talked about Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, but I really don't feel like repeating the same thing the rest of the class is gonna do.." she muttered.

"Then pick someone closer to your heart." By the look she gave him, she clearly couldn't figure out what he meant. "The assignment is about civil rights. It doesn't have to be black rights. Look up some people who helped women get their rights. If you're into the LGBT stuff, look into people who have helped work with that. Making it more personal will make it less of a chore and more fun," he explained.

"You know, if you need a job while you're going to NYU, you could always be a tutor at JQA," Cory commented, clearly overhearing Josh helping her.

Josh gave him a look though. "Wrong kind of teacher, and I probably won't have time to help a lot of students," he pointed out.

"Well tutoring Maya might help get you some credit. It'd look good on a resume," his brother pointed out. Again, Maya gave Josh a confused look.

"I want to be a music teacher. Kinda ran in our blood. Cory became a history teacher, Morgan is a ballet teacher and I'm hoping to be a music teacher. Only one who didn't is Eric, and that is a blessing for all the kids of the world.." Josh murmured. He loved his eldest brother dearly, but he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

"But your parents weren't teachers, were they?" she asked, confused.

"No. Ma worked in real estate and dad owns an outdoors store, after he left the military," he responded. "But we grew up next to Mr. Feeney, who was a really great teacher and changed lives. Cory and Eric were the only ones who actually got him as a teacher, but by the time I was going into middle school, Cory was a teacher, so I just grew up around the idea. And as you can tell, I like kids, so I figured it'd be a good job," he explained.

"Do you actually play any instruments?" she asked curiously. Yes, they were supposed to be working on homework, but he accused her of not really knowing him, so she wanted to get to learn more about him than she already knew.

"Yep. I learned to play guitar when I was nine, and I just learned to play piano while I was at the summer program. I'm not going to be the next Beethoven, but i know the gist of it," he responded with a chuckle.

"What got you into playing music?" Yeah, it seemed like every teenager or young kid went through a phase of wanting to be in the entertainment industry, but Josh also apparently really wanted this. He was going to NYU after all, but he didn't want to be a rockstar or anything, he wanted to be a teacher, which only made her love him more.

He shrugged. "My dad had a band while he was in the navy, so he would play every now and then, and I got intrigued. I tried to teach myself but it didn't go well, so he tried to teach me.. While I love my dad, he's not the most patient guy, so we butted heads a lot. Finally they got me lessons with a professional. My teacher was great, passionate and patient. I decided I wanted to be a music teacher. When I tried to talk my parents into majoring in music, they kind of freaked out, thinking I was going through a rockstar phase. Yeah, I like writing music, but I'd rather teach kids. I guess that kinda won them over," he explained, giving her a smile. Really, he couldn't do too much with her right now as far as homework went since she'd have to do her research, so there wasn't really any harm in hanging out and talking to her. She was calm, which was when he liked her the best, and she was actually pretty cool when she wasn't jumping on him.

"That's cool. I'd like to hear you play some time," Maya commented. Okay, yes, she was flirting _a little_ , but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as what she normally did.

"I'll make a deal with you. Get at least a B in history for the semester, and I'll play you one of my original songs," Josh compromised, getting back on the teaching topic.

"Well I guess I'll never hear you play then." she commented, pursing her lips.

"Hey, you can do it. I would have said pass the class if I didn't think you could. Cory, if she applies herself for the rest of the assignments and her final, can she get a B?" he asked his brother. Of course he didn't want to make a deal if there just weren't enough assignments left to get her grade up to a B.

"Yeah, as long as she gets As and Bs for the rest of the year, she'll pass with a B, maybe even an A," Cory assured them.

"See. So with my teaching and your brain, you'll be waving your report card in my face and telling me to get my guitar," he said with a playful smile.

"I'll try.." she murmured, still sounding unsure.

Over the next few weeks, Josh would either do Skype calls or arrange to do some lessons when he was up in New York. He was pretty sure he saw her more than he saw his niece and nephew that this rate, but he didn't overly mind. Ever since the party at NYU, she'd tamed herself and stopped acting like such a goofball. Even if she was funny and cute when she was being a goofball. Of course it made him like her more than he should. He talked to Andrew about it a couple of times, and he always reminded him of what Jasmine and Charlotte said, about them possibly having something if she still liked him once she graduated.

Cory let him know when report cards came out and when Maya could expect to see hers, so Josh scheduled a trip to go up to the city. He was mostly ready for everything and had gotten the scholarship he wanted, which eased his mind a lot. He brought that news with him to show Cory and the rest of the gang. Like Maya had said, his brother being proud meant a lot to him, and he had worked really hard for his scholarship. His parents saved up money for his school, but if he could get the scholarship, he'd prefer that, and then he could use the money to help pay for food and housing, and other stuff. He'd let Maya know he was coming too, so he figured she'd be waiting for him at the Matthews apartment with the report.

He brought his guitar as promised, in case the news was good. From what he could tell from working with her, she seemed to be doing a lot better, so he had hope.

"Hey, family," he greeted as he went into the apartment. As promised, Maya was there, as long as the rest of them. He got a variety of greetings, before holding his arms out to Maya in question. "What's the verdict?" he asked, seeing that she had the letter in her hand.

"I passed," she said, being coy. Of course she only needed a D to pass, so he was curious as to with what grade. He quirked a brow. "With an A!" she bursted, jumping off the couch and offered the piece of paper to him.

"What!? Really?" he asked, taking it and looked over. Her other grades weren't that hot, but there it was, on the same line with history, a big A. "Congratulations! I knew you could do it," he said, giving her a big hug. She was so short it was easy to pick her up, and he span her around. He managed to compose himself and set her back down, realizing he had made a spectacle of himself (but then again, when did Josh not?) and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm proud of you, Maya. I'll have to get my guitar out of the car in a few."

"I couldn't have done it without your help," she said, returning to her odd shyness she seemed to only get when it came to school.

"You're crazy, girl. You had it. I just helped organize you," he responded. "How about we all go out to dinner to celebrate. My treat," he said.

"Really? Are you sure you can afford it?" Cory intervened. They weren't exactly a small family, and Josh had just spent the past four years in high school.

"Yep. I have a bunch of extra money," he explained, biting back a smile.

"What 18 year old has a 'a bunch of extra money' laying around to take his brother and his family to dinner?" Topanga questioned, brow raised.

"Well, I don't want to outshine Maya's amazing news.. But I got my scholarship to NYU," he answered, breaking out into a big grin. Just like when he got his acceptance letter to NYU, he was bombarded with hugs and congratulations', Maya included.

"Dinner sounds great, but first I want my prize," she said with a smirk. She'd worked really hard because she wanted to hear him play.

"Yes, yes, I'll be right back," he said, going downstairs to get his guitar before coming back up. "Just so you know, not that many people have heard my original music, so you best feel special," he said. The whole family sat around, and he started to play a song he called 'I want to live like that.' He sung as well, and while the rest of the family was there, this was Maya's present, so he focused mainly on her. He could see her ready to swoon, but even more knew that she was really enjoying it.

"You're really talented," Maya said after he finished.

He smiled. "Thanks. Both my sister and mom can sing, so I got their talent," he explained, setting his guitar aside. "Now what's say we go get food?" he asked. There was a collective responses of agreements and they all headed out to get food.


	3. Walk Them Home

**The events that happened when Josh walked Maya and Riley home after they crashed the party in the Tell Tale Tot.**

Josh was feeling particularly humiliated right now. His niece and her best friend had shown up at a college party he was at, and he had to act all uncle-like. Well that was until Jasmine became intrigued by Maya, and started asking about her crush, or infatuation or whatever she had on him. The girls took an immediate liking to her, and it made them turn on him. Jasmine and Charlotte continued to tell him to sit down so he'd listen to her, and when he tried to say no, Jas threatened to tell all of NYU he was dating Maya so that no girl would ever date him. It wasn't the idea of dating Maya, or that people thinking he was dating a younger girl was embarrassing that made him sit back down. He just didn't want to lose the chance to date anyone because people thought he was dating someone he wasn't. He felt like an ass when Riley got involved, asking Maya what she actually liked about him and he agreed, pointing out she didn't know him that well. She only ended up proving him wrong and made him feel like an ass; she knew more about him than any girl ever had, and they hadn't even spent that much time together.

Finally, he decided to prove her right, and did decide to walk them home, instead of staying there with his friends. He could have driven them home, but he had a feeling Cory and Topanga would be asleep, and he didn't want to wake them. It wasn't that far of a walk, and it was a good area, so he didn't have to worry about them dying or anything.

They went down the hall and RIley had fallen behind. He almost thought she'd been taken by sorority girls, again, but he figured if she had, Jasmine or Charlotte would get her back. Right now, he wanted to take a moment to talk to Maya.

"Maya?" he asked, leaning against the door as they waited for Riley to rejoin them.

"Yeah, Josh?" she asked, gazing up at him with her bright blue eyes. He loved seeing her like this; calm, cool and collected. She could be funny when she was fawning all over him, but this was times he could really talk to her.

"I'm sorry I doubted that your feelings were real. I really didn't know you paid that much attention. We don't talk much, so I figured it was just a schoolgirl crush," he apologized.

"You should have asked before assuming," she said with a small shrug, not looking at him. She was looking anywhere but him.

"Hey, i'm trying to apologize here. I know I was an ass and I'm trying to fix that," he replied, turning her to face him and look at him. "I hear you now, I know they're not some fling feeling. I want to start seeing you as more than that little girl crush I met a few years ago."

"Thank you," she said, giving him a small smile. She still felt awkward, and hurt that her feelings weren't returned. "I know right now you still think you're too old for me, and you don't like that you felt we were trying to plan your future for you. But I do hope maybe one day you will see me as more than your niece's friend."

"Like Jasmine said, it does seem like a lot right now. For the next year, I'll be living two hours away, finishing my senior year. When I come here, I'm going to be adjusting to the college life, and you'll be adjusting to high school. You'll probably date so many guys you'll say 'Josh who?' But you should know, while I don't like the idea of you guys planning my whole future, if we're both in the right place and feelings are mutual, I'm not opposed to trying to date or something after you finish high school," he told her. Honestly, he wouldn't be all that put off by it earlier, but he was trying not to get her hopes up overly high.

Maya nodded. "I don't think I'll ever really lose the feelings, and I don't think I'm going to date that many guys in high school. I do hope one day you'll give me a chance," she said, brushing her long locks out of her face.

Josh smiled and got ready to say something before Riley came out. "Can we go home? I'm tired," she asked. Riley had earlier thrown a fit about how crazy it was that the party started at ten. She was most likely going to bed around that time, usually.

"Yeah, lets go," Josh said, walking with them the few blocks toward the Matthews place. They were all quiet, and surprisingly Riley hadn't made any comment about the admission her best friend had made that night. He had a feeling they'd discuss it at another time, but not now. He walked them to the fire escape that would lead to her bay window since they couldn't go in the front door and risk waking her parents.

"Want me to walk you home too, Maya?" he asked her as Riley started up the fire escape after wishing her uncle a goodnight.

She shook her head. "Told my mom I'm staying here tonight," she replied. Riley motioned for Maya to come, but Maya held up a few fingers to show she'd be up in a few.

Josh nodded. "Alright," he answered, slightly awkward. He wanted to talk to her a bit more, but hadn't wanted to do it in front of Riley.

"Night, Josh," she said before starting for the ladder.

"Hey, Maya?" he asked again. She stopped and turned to him. "You said you wanted to be known as more than my nieces friend. Would you settle for just my friend?" he offered. No, he wasn't proposing marriage, but it might be better than nothing.

Maya smiled brightly, nodding. "I'd like that a lot, Josh," she answered. With her expression, one would think he actually had proposed.

"And one day, if it works out for us and you don't move on to someone else, I'll give you that chance you want. I don't know when. It might be in a year, or it might be in a few years. but eventually, I'd be willing to try," he told her.

He hadn't thought her smile could get any bigger, but he was proven wrong. She was grinning from ear to ear when she heard that. "I look forward to that," she stated, trying her best to keep her cool and not jump on him right then and there.

"You should sleep, it's late and you have school in the morning. I have a long drive tomorrow too," Josh told her.

Maya nodded. "Goodnight, Josh," she said, giving him a gentle hug.

"Goodnight, Maya," he replied, hugging her back for once. When they pulled away from the hug, he found himself leaning down and kissed her on the cheek.

She turned bright red, but managed to pull herself together, waving before heading up the ladder to go into Riley's room.


	4. Late Nights

**Josh is staying at the Matthews apartment for Thanksgiving, and so is Maya. When they both have sleep troubles, they confide in each other why they can't sleep.**

Josh yawned as he leaned back against the couch-turned-bed in his brothers living room. They were in town for Thanksgiving and Josh opted out of getting a second hotel room with his parents. With both parents, Morgan and Eric, they would have had to get a second room for him to have room; and while the idea of getting his own room was pleasing, he decided he'd rather stay at his brother's apartment (after he offered, of course.) He wanted to spend his time there around his niece and nephew, along with Cory and Topanga. They had two kids who wanted their own room, so their 'guest room' was the pull out couch in the living room. Auggie offered to share his bed with his uncle, but Josh reassured the young kid he'd be fine in the living room. It never bothered him. If it had, he would have gotten his own hotel room.

Right now, he was reading something his teachers had suggested for 'something to keep their brain active and learning over the holiday.' They'd also been told they'd get extra credit if they actually read it and answered a few questions to prove they had read it. Josh may not be a big overachiever. He got mostly A's and B's, been offered to go into AP classes, but he declined since he didn't want to pick up stuff he couldn't handle, and over stress himself. So he picked up little extra credit assignments and did the best he could in regular classes. It had paid off, since he got into NYU, and if he could keep his grades up for his last year, there was a chance of him getting a scholarship. It was definitely something he would have liked; he could use all the money his parents saved up for his college for living and other things he may need. It would definitely be nice to have that cushion.

"Book that boring, huh?" he heard a voice behind him and nearly jumped a foot in the air. As far as he'd been concerned, everyone was asleep and he hadn't heard any noise to tell him otherwise, or let him know that someone had woken up and come out.

He made a mark for his place, setting it aside before looking over his shoulder, seeing Maya standing there with a devious smile, dressed in her pjs. "Maya. I didn't know you were awake," he stated, trying to slow his racing heart. Of course the fact she looked really cute in shorts and a tank top, long blond locks pulled up into a messy ponytail.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," she said, apologetically. There was still a small quirk at her lips corner that showed she wasn't all that sorry. "I couldn't sleep and decided to come out and get a drink. Figured you'd be sleeping," she answered, going to the fridge and poured herself a drink. "Want one?" she offered, probably to make up for scaring the living daylights out of the poor kid.

"Sure," he said, tossing his book onto the end table, done with it for the night. He was over halfway done and he still had a two hour drive in the back seat to Philly in a few days when he could finish it. He just couldn't sleep and wanted something to entertain himself.

Maya came over a moment later, offering him a glass. "What _are_ you still doing up?" she asked him, eying him, face full of curiosity.

"Couldn't sleep. Didn't want to flip through twenty channels just to find nothing is on, so I decided to do a bit of work for school," he stated, taking the drink and thanked her before taking a sip, patting the spot next to him in case she wanted to sit down. "What's got you up?" he asked. She mentioned that she couldn't sleep, but he was wondering if there was more to it.

"Just couldn't sleep," she said, trying to play it casual as she sat next to him. Of course, Josh saw right through it. There was something bothering her, but she didn't want to seem uncool and talk about it. Or maybe she just didn't want to tell him.

"No particular reason?" he asked, sipping his drink and rose a brow at her.

"Nope, no reason," she said, but she wouldn't look directly at him, aside from a glance every now and then. She was a crappy liar for being such a rebel.

"You know you can talk to me about stuff, Maya. I'm not gonna judge you. You already told me about your dungeon of sadness and about the fact you like me," he pointed out. He doubted him being there had anything to do with her insomnia.

Maya chewed on her lip while she thought, taking a sip of her drink to buy some time. "I love your family, I do. They're amazing and great. I heard even Shawn might try to stop by.. But my mom is working and my dad is off with his new family.." she said with a small shrug, trying to brush off how much it really bothered him.

"I know you want them here. But I've also learned something very important; family doesn't have to be blood. I'm pretty sure you're here more than you are at your own place. You're like a sister to Riley. It's not wrong to want your parents around, but it also isn't wrong to enjoy the family you do have here," he said, resting his hand over hers, tone gentle. He wasn't trying to make her feel bad for missing her family. He was trying to help her.

Apparently it was working some, or maybe it was the fact he was holding her hand, but she gave him a small small. "Thanks. I know they're like my second family. I just see how Riley is with her mom and dad, and it reminds me that I don't have that.." she murmured.

Josh rose a brow. "You do have that. Cory cares about you, just as if you were his own, and I've seen Topanga. She makes sure you don't go to school without breakfast, and if you try to deny the offer, she tells you it's not a request. Cory's not just your teacher, and Topanga isn't just your best friends mom. You may call them Mr. & Mrs. Matthews, but they're basically both your parents," he told her. Of course that didn't make the fact she liked him any less awkward, and more reason they couldn't become anything. Josh had never once told Maya he didn't have feelings for her, or he wasn't attracted to her. But she was in middle school and he was finishing high school. For the next year, they'd live two hours away. And like he'd told her after she snuck out to the NYU party to keep him from falling in love with another girl, he was still trying to get out of seeing her as a little girl. She was really showing that she'd grown up a lot in the time they spent apart.

"I guess you're right," she said, not sounding happy to admit it. The little girl had a lot of pride, but he was sure a lot of it was mostly a mask.

"You're part of the family, whether you want to admit it or not, Maya," he told her, gently bumping his shoulder against hers.

"Thanks, Josh," she said, tucking a piece of hair that didn't fit in her ponytail behind her ear.

"Anytime," he replied with a smile. Since the party, they'd worked on trying to be friends and they'd talk every now and then. "Want to see if there's anything not terrible on tv until we get tired?" he asked her.

"Sure," she said with a shrug, sipping her drink. "I told you why I'm up, why are you up?" she asked him, leaning back against the couch-turned-bed.

"Just not tired," he said, brushing it off as he turned on the tv - making sure the volume was low enough that it wouldn't bother anyone else in the house - and started flipping through the guide. Maya hadn't said anything so he glanced over, finding her giving him a look."What?" he asked, confused.

"You made me open up. It's your turn," she stated, deadpan.

Josh sighed, picking something random and turned it on. "Just a lot on my mind. I've got a few months left, then I graduate and move away. I was busy a lot during the pre-college program, so I didn't really have time to get home sick. I know it's only two hours away, but it's still.. different," he said, obviously not liking admitting the fact he was afraid to move away from his parents and go to college.

"That's not uncommon for college kids though, right? I mean, some kids go across the country. At least you're close enough to go home if you get too homesick. And you've got Cory, Riley and Auggie here as well," she pointed out, giving him a smile.

Josh nodded. "I am glad to be closer to them. I know I'll be doing a lot of work while I'm there and won't be able to be here every day, but it'll be nice to see them more than once every few months," he responded. Before he got his license and got permission to drive to and from New York, he would only see them once or twice a year, maybe. And they would come up to Philly a lot of the time. His parents had given a lot of leeway last christmas; letting him drive to New York, letting Cory host Christmas, letting Topanga cook. He was proud of them. They were trying to adjust to what would finally be an empty nest, after like forty years.

"You'll see your New York family so much you won't even want to go to Philadelphia to see your parents because you'll be so sick of family," Maya teased with a playful grin.

Josh laughed softly and shook his head. "I love Riley and Auggie too much."  
"And they love you too," Maya said, fondly.

"They love you too," he added, giving her a look to make sure she hadn't forgotten their conversation about her before moving into him.

"I know," she reassured him, giving him a full smile.

"We should relax so we can both sleep soon, or we're going to be zombies tomorrow," Josh said with a small laugh.

Maya laughed with him and nodded, turning her attention to the tv.

"When did that even happen?"  
"She was in my room when I fell asleep."

"I came out and found them."

Cory, Topanga and Riley were all gathered around the couch where Maya and Josh were asleep together. It was clear they someone ended up falling asleep while watching tv. The tv was still on and they were both curled up, fast asleep. They were laying apart, close enough to share the blanket but hadn't been cuddling, unless they moved apart in their sleep.

"My only guess is Maya had trouble sleeping, so she and Josh got to talking and they fell asleep together. Nothing has changed between them, right?" Topanga asked Riley.

"They're trying to be friends, but as far as I know, even that is going slow," Riley said with a shrug. Every now and then, Maya would mention having an e-mail exchange with Riley's uncle, but they were pretty casual conversations.

"I'm going back to bed," Cory said with a shrug and started back towards his room.

Josh yawned softly, stretching out before slowly opening his eyes. He jumped a bit when he saw that Maya was asleep next to him.

"Morning," he heard come from the kitchen. He looked up, seeing Topanga working on breakfast.

"Morning," he said. Topanga put her finger to her lips in hopes of letting Maya sleep, before motioning him over. He got up, stretching out before going over so they could talk without disturbing her.

"What happened to make.." Topanga motioned to the couch, "That?"

"We were both having trouble sleeping, so we hung out for a bit, talking some. We put on the tv for something to watch until we got tired, but I guess I passed out and she got too tired to get up?" he guessed, not even sure himself.

She nodded, handing him a plate of breakfast. "Nothing else happened?" she asked. Josh wasn't sure if she was being protective of him or Maya.

"Nope. Just talking, watching tv and sleeping," he reassured her.


	5. Prom

**Set a few years in the future. Josh comes over to the Matthews apartment while the girls are shopping through Prom magazines. Maya doesn't have a date, and after she makes a playful comment about him taking her, he surprisingly agrees. Minor Rucas as well.**

Maya had finally turned seventeen a few months ago, and would be getting ready for her junior prom soon. She wasn't sure how she felt about going, but Riley was going with Lucas, and she wanted to be there for her friend. Farkle had given up on trying to get her attention and had already asked Smackle. Maya had dated a few people throughout her first three years of high school, but she still hadn't had a boyfriend, and no one really caught her eye. Except one person. Her best friend's uncle, Josh Matthews. She developed the crush when she reunited with him at a Matthews Christmas party when she was thirteen, but he always turned her down, due to her being too young for him. But like she had said at the game night, she was in it for the long game. It only got worse with him living a few minutes away at NYU. They both spent a lot of time at the Matthews house, so they saw each other a lot. She had calmed down a lot with trying to push herself on him, and they worked on being friends, but she still held a flame for him.

She was hanging out a Riley's, flipping through Prom magazines while they looked for dresses. She tried to talk herself out of the dance, but they all promised to dance with her throughout the night and that they'd have fun together. She finally caved in, and said she'd go. Her attention was drawn up when she heard the front door open. Topanga was in the kitchen with Auggie, making dinner, and Cory was off grading tests.

Instead, it was Josh that walked through the door, never bothering to knock. "Hey, kiddies," he said, like he always did.

"Josh!" Auggie said, breaking away from his mother and flew to his uncle like he always did, no matter how frequently the kid saw him.

"Auggie!" Josh said, reaching down to pick him up. "Get too much bigger and I won't be able to pick you up," he said, setting him on his shoulders.

"I hope not," Auggie responded, and Josh could hear the pout in the kids voice.

"What are you girls up to?" Josh asked Riley and Maya, settled on the couch.

"Prom Dress shopping, trying to eliminate stores, so we don't have to actually go into places and find nothing," Riley answered.

"That makes sense, helping her out or are you actually going, Maya?" Josh asked. She didn't really seem like the type to actually go to prom, and as far as he knew, she hadn't been seeing anyonr. He knew she still had a crush on him, so he had a feeling that got in the way.

"They talked me into going with them, even without a date, so I'm flying solo," she responded, tossing a magazine on the table from her stack in her lap. "Unless you'd like to take me," she added with flirty eyes. Yes, she'd backed off a bit, but she would still make flirty comments or something. She really didn't expect him to stay yes, but had to do it.

"Sure," Josh said casually as he set Auggie down on the couch since the kid was starting to hurt his shoulders.

Everyone froze, before turning the gaze on him; Riley looked up from her current catalogue, Maya stopped midway through opening her next, Auggie peered up at him from the couch and even Topanga stopped cooking to turn her attention to the group in the living room. "What'd you just say?" Maya asked, clearly in shock.

"I said sure," Josh said with a shrug.

Maya eyed him, trying to figure out if he was teasing with a "sure, when pigs fly" thing, or if he was being genuine. He seemed serious. "Do you mean it, or are you just playing a really mean joke?" she asked him outright.

"I mean it. I mean, if your school is cool with the fact someone who doesn't go there will be attending," he replied. Of course Josh actually knew how big of a deal this was, but he was going to play it cool.

"Josh, you do realize what you're committing to, right?" Topanga asked, speaking up

"Going on a date with a girl I've known for like three years so she doesn't have to go to prom alone, or as a fifth wheel. I know Prom is a big deal, so she should have a nice night. It's not like I'm proposing or anything," Josh replied, leaning against the edge of the couch arm, still keeping a relaxed position.

"So this is just a one-time thing, huh?" Maya asked, not sure if she should be happy that she'd get one date, or disappointed.

"I'm only committing to one, I'm not saying I'll never go on a date with you again, but I'm also not asking you to go steady," Josh replied. "So what do you say, want me to escort you to your prom?" he asked. Oh, Jasmine would be thrilled.

Maya relaxed a bit at that, glad there was a chance for others. She smiled brightly and nodded. "I'd like that a lot, Josh," she answered.

"Wait, what happened to the whole 'she's too young for me' thing?" Riley questioned her uncle, clearly turning on her defense. While Josh was her uncle, Maya was her best friend and she didn't want her friend to get hurt.

"If the state of New York considers 17 to be old enough to give sexual consent, I think 17 is old enough for me to take her to her prom," Josh pointed out. "Not that I'm saying her prom will end with needing the age of consent," he clarified, glancing up at Topanga.

"I wasn't thinking that," she defended, going back to busy herself with cooking.

"So do you want me to take you girls shopping and help you decide, or am I banned from seeing you all dolled up until the night of?" Josh asked.

"You can go, if you actually want to, you don't have to," Maya answered, since he was mostly talking to her.

"Sure, and then I know a way to match," he said with a smile. "Plus I want to make sure my niece is wearing something appropriate," he teased, as if Riley would wear anything not appropriate.

Riley gave him a hard look, not that he could take her seriously. "You're very funny," she told him with a roll of her eyes.

Josh smirked in response. "If you girls have eliminated enough and want to go now, I'm done for the day," he said, holding up his keys.

Riley and Maya turned their attention to Topanga, looking to see her reaction about going that day. "You have two hours until dinner. Do you promise to be back by then?" Topanga asked, glancing at the girls.

"I'll personally drag them out of the store and make sure they're back in time," Josh promised as the girls nodded in agreement.

Topanga took a moment, before going to her purse and got out a card, offering it to Josh. "For _both_ their dresses," she said, giving Maya a look to not even bother protesting. Katy was still living paycheck to paycheck, and Shawn was out of town on a job, so he couldn't offer to pay for it.

"Thanks, Topanga," he said, taking it and put it in his wallet, before getting up. "C'mon, ladies," he said.

The girls had a pretty good idea on an area they wanted to go to, a few dress stores near each other. It seemed like they had some sort of idea what they wanted for a dress as well, which would make their trip easier. He liked having a time line so he knew they couldn't take forever looking.

While they were looking, Josh decided to take the time to talk to his niece. "Riley, can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked. Maya was off in another part of the store, looking at edgier dresses than what Riley wanted.

"Sure, Uncle Josh, what's up?" she asked, giving him her full attention, already holding a few dress options in her arms.

"Are you okay with this? Me taking Maya to prom with you guys?" he asked. He hadn't really had the time to ask her. It wasn't like he was just going to chaperone, or was going with someone who went to the school so they'd see each other. He was taking her best friend.

Riley nodded. "I mean, I still think it'd be kind of weird for Maya to end up being my aunt, but I think it was really nice of you to offer to go with her so she's not going to feel like a fifth wheel. Just be careful with her, please? I don't want to pick up the pieces after you break her heart," she answered.

"I'm not going to break her heart. I want her to have a good night. Like I told her, we can see what happens after that. The last thing I've ever wanted to do is hurt her," he responded, glancing over to make sure she wasn't going to come over in the middle of their conversation and overhear. Not that it was a bad thing they were talking about, but he didn't want her presence to affect Riley's answer.

"Then it's fine with me. I just want her happy," she said with a smile.

The girls tried on dress after dress, and Josh did his best to give a good opinion. "Alright, hand over the card and go wait in the car," Maya demanded.

Josh rose a brow at her. "What?"

"You served your purpose, giving the male opinion. But you don't get to see what dresses we chose until that night," she stated, holding out her hand.

Josh chuckled and rolled his eyes at her, getting Topanga's card out of his wallet and handed it over. "I'll be waiting outside," he stated, before going outside. The girls followed shortly after with two long black dress bags. He managed to get them back in time, and he was invited to dinner as well.

A few weeks later, the night of prom came. Josh would be driving Riley, Lucas, and of course Maya. They turned down the idea of a limo, saying it was too flashy and not their style. They were going to be meeting Farkle and Smackle at the dance, which was a good thing since Josh's car only fit four. His tux from his senior from still fit, and Maya didn't mind him reusing it so he didn't have to spend the money to get a new one. He'd just gone with a classic black and white one so he didn't have to worry about matching colors.

He made his way inside, Cory letting him know the girls were in Riley's room, finishing up. He made himself comfortable, waiting for them while they finished. Josh rose from his seat as Katy (who'd gotten off early to see her daughters big night) and Topanga emerged first. Lucas had showed up as well and got up when Josh did.

Riley came out first, a long purple dress that flattered her tiny frame. Her hair was down in long curls, but Topanga had pulled back her long bangs and clipped them in the back to keep her hair out of her face. As always, she had a small amount of natural makeup. Lucas was mostly speechless, but managed to get out a comment about how pretty she looked, Josh agreeing, and gave Lucas a teasing threat to keep his hands to himself.

Maya came out next, and Josh was pretty sure he knew what Maya felt when she saw him now. She was dressed in a strapless black dress with an high-low skirt, and studded top. She accessorized it with a black lace cardigan. Her hair was up in what looked like a stylishly messy bun, a hair comb in the top, but a few pieces in the front to frame her face. Unlike Riley, her makeup was darker, which only made her blue eyes pop more.

"Wow" was the only thing Josh was able to manage.

"You look pretty wow yourself," Maya answered, looking him over. She'd seen the photos from his prom, but seeing it in person made it all the better.

"Get together for pictures!" Topanga told them. Josh knew all about that, so he showed the others what to do, standing with his arms around Maya and he was pretty sure her knees would have given out if he wasn't holding onto her tight enough to keep her upright. Once the parents were satisfied with getting enough pictures, Josh escorted them out to the car.

They'd found the school didn't care if their date wasn't attending the school as long as they were going with someone who did, so Josh was fine and no one questioned him as they went in. Of course once they were in, he got a lot of looks from the high school girls. While Josh didn't look _old,_ he still had a mature face and held himself with the confidence of a college student. He also saw that their gaze went to Maya in envy, since it was obvious he was her date. He couldn't help but add fuel to the fire and draped an arm around her shoulder.

Maya melted against him as he did, not even caring about the looks she got. She wanted to make the best of this date. She wasn't sure if his reason for coming was only so she didn't have to go alone, or if it was something else. He'd said it was possible this wasn't going to be their only date, so did that mean he was admitting he might like her as more than a friend? She'd figure it out later, and just enjoy her time now.

As promised, they all danced together during the quick songs, but stayed closer to their dates. Josh served his purpose when the songs started to slow down and people started to really couple up.

"We don't have to dance if you don't want.." Maya started as the song changed.

"It's prom, slow dancing is part of the package. If you hate it, we can go sit down, but you should at least have one for the night," Josh told her, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Alright, I just wasn't sure if you wanted to," she said, letting him draw her back toward the dance floor. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she reached up to wrap her arms around his shoulders. "Thank you for coming with me tonight," she said, smiling up at him.

"Of course. You deserve to have fun tonight too, without feeling third-wheelish. I'm just surprised no one asked you," Josh replied. He figured once she got to high school, guys would be all over her, so that Cory and Shawn would have to beat them off with a bat.

"Is that why you're here? You wanted to do me a favor? Cause you really don't owe me anything.." she murmured. She didn't sound upset, just confused.

"No, I didn't come just to do you a favor," Josh confirmed, but didn't elaborate.

"Then why did you?" she asked. Maya was always willing to speak her mind and ask questions everyone else was afraid to ask.

"Well.. remember when I was seventeen, and was in town for the Pre College program, and ended up getting shot down by that Campus Advisor?" he asked.

"Yeah, I remember. She pulled the whole 'three years' thing on you," she replied with a nod.

"Well, the situations are kinda reversed now.. I'm twenty and you're seventeen.. But I don't feel the same way she did," he told her, hoping she'd get it.

"So you're done telling me I'm too young for you?" she asked, peering up at him through her dark lashes.

Josh nodded, giving her a smile. "I thought you grew up gorgeous at fourteen, but you look even more beautiful tonight. The most beautiful girl I've ever seen," he told her.

Maya flushed brightly at that, more than she had when he told her she grew up gorgeous. "So you're admitting you like me," she clarified, trying not to show how weak-kneed she felt.

"I've been attracted to you for years. I just didn't want to hurt you, or keep you from dating other people throughout high school. You're beautiful and any guy would be lucky to be here with you tonight," he said.

"A few guys asked, but none that I were interested in," Maya admitted with a small shrug. "There's never been anyone else. I tried going on a few dates, but it was nothing compared to how I feel about you."

"I'm glad that there was never anyone else," he told her with a smile. "So you'd be interested in going on another date? One not chaperoned by my niece?" he asked, partially teasing.

"I'd like that a lot," Maya confirmed, smiling widely.

"Good," he said, smiling down at her. He slowly leaned down and kissed her softly, something he'd wanted to do for a few years. He felt her melt against his lips and returned it. It felt better than any girl he'd ever kissed. He pulled back slowly, still smiling. "Was that your first kiss?" he asked, curiously.

She smiled, looking a bit embarrassed before nodding. "Yeah, it was.."

"I'm glad," he said, smiling more. He liked knowing he was her first kiss.

"You are?" she asked, surprised.

Josh nodded and kissed her cheek. "I like knowing I got to be your first kiss," he told her. She smiled brightly and rested against him as they danced.

They stayed for a few hours before they started to get tired. He drove them back, going upstairs with them. He knew Maya was staying the night with Riley, and Cory told him he was welcome to stay over if he was too tired to drive back to his place, even though it wasn't that far. He decided to take advantage of the offer, especially so he could talk to maya in the morning about their next date.

Riley said goodbye to Lucas before going to her room to change, leaving Maya and Josh alone.

"We can discuss date details tomorrow?" Josh offered.

Maya nodded. "That sounds good," she said, giving him a hug. "Thank you for coming with me tonight," she said again.

"You're welcome," he answered, kissing her gently. "Go get some sleep. Sleep well," he told her.

"You too. Night, Josh," she said, kissing his cheek.

"Night, Maya,."

 **If you guys have any ideas or requests for one shots, please suggest them! Reviews are love, and ideas are amazing.  
**


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